Sarasota, FL – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens announced today that Phase One of its three-phase Master Plan for its Downtown Sarasota campus will open to the public on January 11, 2024.
The project adds 188,030 square feet of new facilities and amenities to Selby Gardens’ iconic campus on Sarasota Bay, which is uniquely dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, ferns, and other tropical plants.
Phase One features the following three buildings that together create the first net-positive energy botanical complex in the world, generating more energy than consumed.
Attracting over 300,000 visitors a year, Selby Gardens is celebrating its 50th anniversary and looking toward the future with this ambitious expansion for its Downtown Sarasota campus, which is one of the most biodiverse botanical gardens in the world. The Master Plan has been guided by the international landscape architecture studio OLIN, building architecture firm Overland Partners, and civil engineer Kimley-Horn. Willis Smith Construction serves as the construction manager.
About Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward-thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, Florida. The Downtown campus on Sarasota Bay is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants. There is a significant focus on botany, horticulture, education, historical preservation, and the environment. The Historic Spanish Point campus is located less than 10 miles south along Little Sarasota Bay. One of the largest preserves showcasing native Florida plants that is interpreted for and open to the public, it celebrates an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida history. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is also accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
For more information visit www.selby.org.
